April 6, 2011; Monterey, CA; The Monterey Jazz Festival is proud to announce the results of the annual Next Generation Jazz Festival, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the National High School Jazz Competition. A full list of top groups, scholarship and award winners can be found on the Festival's Web site at http://www.montereyjazzfestival.org/2011/NGF/top-groups/

Major funding for the 2011 Next Generation Jazz Festival was provided by The Hearst Foundations and AT&T Foundation. This program is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Results by Category

In the High School Big BandDivision, top honors went to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (Los Angeles, CA),Jason Goldman, director. The runner-up was Marin School for the Arts (Novato, CA), Mark Peabody, director. Third place went to Rio Americano High School AM (Sacramento, CA), Josh Murray, director. All three bands will perform at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the High School ComboDivision, top honors went to the Hamilton Academy of Music (Los Angeles, CA),Jim Foschia, director. Second place went to Berkeley High School Combo I (Berkeley, CA), Scott Dailey, director. Third place went to Northgate High School (Walnut Creek, CA), Greg Brown, director. The Hamilton Academy of Music will perform at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the High SchoolVocal EnsembleDivision, top honors went to Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (Los Angeles, CA),Pat Bass, director. Second place went to Folsom High School Jazz Choir I (Folsom, CA),Curtis Gaesser, director.Third place went to Valencia High School “Two ‘n’ Four”(Valencia, CA), Christine Tavares, director. Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and Folsom High School Jazz Choir Iwill perform at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the College Big Band Division, top honors went to University of Southern California Thornton School of Music Jazz Orchestra (Los Angeles, CA), Bob Mintzer, director. Second place went to Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, CA), David Beatty, director. Third place went to California State University, Long Beach Concert Jazz Orchestra (Long Beach, CA), Jeff Jarvis, director. The University of Southern California Thornton School of Music Jazz Orchestra will perform at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the College Vocal EnsembleDivision, top honors went to California State University, Long Beach “Pacific Standard Time”(Long Beach, CA), Christine Guter, director. Second place went to College of the Canyons (Valencia, CA), Julie Lawson, director. Third place went to West Valley College Jazz Singers (Saratoga, CA), Michelle Hawkins, director. California State University, Long Beach “Pacific Standard Time” will perform at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the Conglomerate Division, top honors went to the Jazzschool Monday Night Studio Band (Berkeley, CA), Keith Johnson, director. Second place went to American Music Program/Pacific Crest (Portland, OR), Thara Memory, director. Third place went to SFJAZZ High School All-Star Jazz Orchestra (San Francisco, CA),Paul Contos, director. The Jazzschool Monday Night Studio Band will perform at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the Open Combo Division, top honors went to the Chase Morrin Group (San Diego, CA), Chase Morrin, director. Second place went to Center of Life Jazz Band (Pittsburgh, PA), Tim Smith, director. Third place went to University of Nevada, Las Vegas Contemporary Combo (Las Vegas, NV), Dave Loeb, director.

The Chase Morrin Group will perform at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

The Monterey Jazz Festival is also proud to announce the winner of the Next Generation Jazz Festival’s Composition Competition. Chase Morrin,from Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, won with his composition, “Mumphis” which will be performed by the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra on the Jimmy Lyons Arena Stage on September 18, 2010. Mr. Morrin will receive the 4th annual Gerald Wilson Award and a cash prize. Honorable Mention went to Miles Roberto from Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, for his piece “All That I Ask For.”

For a complete list of top ensembles, outstanding soloists and scholarship recipients, please visit www.montereyjazzfestival.org. See below for a complete list of the performers at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September, 2011.

Day by Day Review

The Next Generation Jazz Festival got off to a spectacular start on Friday, April 1st with a standing-room-only crowd of 1500 jazz fans for the highly-anticipated Kick-Off Concert, which included sublime performances from the Alan Benzie Quartet and the NGJF Judges, including pianist Alan Pasqua; saxophonists Antonio Hart, Paul Contos, Aaron Lington,and Artist-In-Residence Joshua Redman; drummer Peter Erskine; trombonist Andy Martin; bassist Ray Drummond; guitarist Corey Christiansen; trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire; and vocalists Michele Weir and Jenifer Barnes. After the conclusion of the Kick-Off Concert, a large number of students remained to participate in the traditional Student Jam Session, hosted by Azusa Pacific University.

Prior to the start of the concert, the Monterey Jazz Festival presented its annual Salute to Jazz Education, hosted by local radio personality Barry Brown. The event recognizes educators, student participants, volunteers, and the many supporters of the Festival's year-round Jazz Education Programs with plaques named in honor of past Monterey Jazz Festival Board members.

Saturday’s activities included over 90 back-to-back performances in five locations in downtown Monterey. Tourists and fans alike saw young performers at Gilbert’s Restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf, the Portola Hotel & Spa, the Monterey Conference Center and the Monterey Maritime Museum. The participating bands performed with precision, taste, and professionalism that belied their young looks on stage. In addition, several clinics were held at the Next Generation Jazz Festival, including clinics featuring Joshua Redman and the Alan Benzie Quartet.

Early Saturday evening, after a long afternoon of performances, students packed the Serra Ballroom to hear the announcement of the top High School Big Bands, Vocal Ensembles and Combos, and soloist and scholarship award-winners. Explosive applause rang out as the groups and soloist winners were announced.

The Showcase Concert later that evening was a preview of the 2011 Monterey Jazz Festival, which included big bands from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Marin School for the Arts and Rio Americano as well as Vocal Ensembles from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Folsom High School and the combo from Hamilton Academy of Music.

Only at the end of the evening would it be known that Los Angeles County High School for the Arts would appear on the Jimmy Lyons Arena Stagefor the third year in a row.

On Sundaymorning, the final divisions of the Next Generation Jazz Festival took the stage including Middle School, Conglomerate, College Big Band, and College Vocal Ensemble performers. In the Steinbeck Forum, six middle school bands--some with members that were barely teenagers--played with intense devotion. In addition, a special clinic on performance improvisation was held by the middle school adjudicators.

Downstairs in the Serra Ballroom, the Conglomerate Division was also underway. Representing the best-of-the-best high school musicians, each band was an all-star congregation of young players. Winning the top award for the third year in a row was the Jazzschool Monday Night StudioBand, who will perform at the 54th Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

The College Big Band Division featured some of the most advanced groups in the nation. Fluid and commanding in their performances, each group showcased their unique interpretations of big band literature. The University of Southern California Thornton School of Music Jazz Orchestra took top honors, and will perform at the 54th Monterey Jazz Festivalin September.

Sunday afternoon was College Vocal Ensemble time in the Steinbeck Forum, with each of the top six schools showcasing their sophisticated and daring harmonic sounds. In the end, California State University, Long Beach “Pacific Standard Time”took top honors, and will perform at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

Also on Sunday, behind closed doors, live auditions for the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra were taking place. The Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, one of the premier high school bands in the country, is the Monterey Jazz Festival's national high school showcase band, filled with all-star musicians from around the country. The prestigious orchestra will tour during summer 2011.

After two days and nights, with nearly 120 events in five locations, performed by over 65 participating groups, the Next Generation Jazz Festival came to a close. All the students, fans, judges, and educators who came to the Next Generation Jazz Festival will have memories of 2011 that will carry into the future of their extraordinary weekend in Monterey.

New Technologies Help Jazz Education

The Next Generation Jazz Festival also expanded into the digital and mobile realm by providing a free Web cast of the shows on the Serra Ballroom’s Stage on Saturday and Sunday, with over 1800 fans across the country tuning in to see their favorite bands perform; and launching the Monterey Jazz Festival’s newly-created mobile phone apps for the Digital Music Education Project and the NextGeneration Jazz Festival, for both iPhone and Android. Six-hundred users downloaded the apps. Major advancements to this project were funded by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation through the generous support of theDoris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Partners in Jazz

The classic jazz publication, DownBeat,was also prominently displayed in the hub of all the NGJF activity. DownBeat gave away over 500 copies of their latest issue throughout the weekend.

The Next Generation Jazz Festival College Fair hosted some of the top schools and jazz programs in the country, including Jazz Camp West, The Jazzschool, San Jose State University, Stanford Jazz Workshop, the New School, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of the Pacific, and University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.

The 2012 Next Generation Jazz Festivalis slated forMarch 30 - April 1,2012. The High School Jazz Competition will celebrate its 42nd edition and will continue to draw the country's best student bands, vocalists, and individual musicians. The Monterey Jazz Festival is proud to present the Next Generation Jazz Festival and congratulates all the participants, fans, volunteers, parents, supporters, and donors who have helped make this special event possible every year.

Supporters Help Fund Next Generation Jazz Festival

The Monterey Jazz Festival is dedicated to perpetuating the uniquely American form of music known as jazz by producing performances that celebrate the legacy and expand the boundaries of jazz; and by presenting year-round local, regional, national, and international jazz education programs. The Monterey Jazz Festival is a non-profit organization that has donated its proceeds to musical education since its inception in 1958.

Announced during the weekend was a first-time grant award of fifty-thousand dollarsfrom the Hearst Foundations, in support of the Next Generation Jazz Festival andother Festival youth jazz education programs. This program is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

A one-year grant from the AT&T Foundation supports the Next Generation Jazz Festival and the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra performance tours. AT&T invests significant resources to advance education, strengthen communities and improve lives.

Honorable Mention
Miles Roberto
(Sacramento, CA)
Rio Americano High School
“All That I Ask For”

* Will perform at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival, September 2011

** “Mumphis”will be performed at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival by the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, on the Jimmy Lyons Stage on Sunday, 9/18/11. Mr. Morrin will also receive the 4th Annual Gerald Wilson Award.